schwingen



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(N0 ModeL) W. SGHWINGEN. GRAIN HARVESTING AND BINDING MACHI E Patented s t. 28, 1886.

.llllllllil m R w m m N A m I E? N a I a M m WITNESSES In PETERS. Vhclvhhmgraymen Wishmgtbll. u c.

(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 2.

W. SOHWINGE'N. GRAIN HARVESTING AND BINDING MACHINE.

No. 349,957. Patented Sept. 28, 1886.

Attorney NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

XVILLIAM SCHW'INGEN, OF FARMER VILLAGE, NE\V YORK, ASSTGNOR OF ONF-HALF TO B. M. GRAVES, OF SAME PLACE.

GRAIN HARVESTING AND BINDING MACHINE.

ESPECIPICATION fanning part of Letters Patent No. 349,957, dated September 28, 1886.

A pnlication tiled July 8, 188;).

T all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM SenwI'xenN, of Farmer Village, in the county of Seneca and State of New York, have invented certain Improvements in Grain Harvesting and Binding Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The aim of this invention is to providea low-level binder of extreme simplicity, wherein the grain shall be automatically bound in bundles of uniform size.

The machine embraces as its leading members, in addition to the usual cutting mechanism, a conveyer-apron,which is extended horizontally in rear of the cutters and thence upward, a receiver with hinged bottom,into which the grain is delivered by the apron, a tilting concave or compressor, which opens the receiver and tak es the grain th6l6flOlll,illld which has at one edge'a cord-carrying finger, rotary arms which resist the advance of the concave to compress the grain therein, and a traveling head containing the band-fastening devices, and arranged to accompany the cord-carrying finger through a part of its movement,in order to secure the band while the bundle is being carried toward the delivery-point. A binderdriving clutch is actuated through intermediate devices from the concave as it descends in receiving the grain, the descent being resisted by a spring, and the parts so arranged that the binder is started automatically when the gavel is of proper size, and stopped after the completion of the binding operation.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a top plan view of my machine; Fig. 2, a longitudinal section of the same on the line or ."r, the parts being in the position in which they stand during the de livery of the accumulated grain to the receiver. Fig. 3 is a similar section through the binding mechanism with the partsin the position which they assume during the binding action. Figs. 4 and 5 are front elevations of the parts by which the receiving. compressing, and tying devices are actuated, the firstnamed figure showing them in the position in which they stand during the delivery of the grain thereto, and the second figure showing them in the position which they occupy during the binding of the bundle. Fig. 6 is a vertical cross-sec Lion of the machine on the broken line ;1 y of (No model.)

Fig. 1, showing, in addition to the devices represented in Figs. 4 and 5, the arm by which the binder mechanism is tripped into action. Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing the clutch and trip mechanism, and also the elevated bands upon the carrier-apron. Fig. 8 is a vertical crosssection through one of the main supporting-wheels on the line 2 of Fig. 1, showing the manner of adjusting the same vertically and of turning it at right angles to its ordinary position. Fig. 9 is a perspective View showing the lower end of one ofthe wheelsupports.

In the drawings, A represents the oblong rectangular main frame carried at the stubble side by the two ground-wheels BB, and at the grain side by a single wheel, 0, which latter may be of the ordinary caster type commonly used in harvesting machinery, or of other suitable form. The main wheels are preferably attached by the peculiar devices which will be hereinafter described.

The mainframe is provided at its forward edge with cutting mechanism D, which may be constructed in any ordinary manner and driven by any appropriate connection with the moving parts of the machine.

E represents an endless conveyer-apron, located in the main frame in rear of the cutters and extending inward toward the stubble side of the machine a considerable distance beyond the cutting mechanism, for the purpose of clevating the grain and delivering the same to the binding devices. That portion of the apron in rear of the cutters extends in a horizontal direction, while the remaining portion is given an upward inclination toward the inner or delivery end, as plainly shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Y The apron is carried at its extremities by two horizontal rolls, a a, mounted in suitable hearings on the frame. The lower portion of the apron is prevented from rising by an inside roller, 1), and its upper or active surface is held down in a horizontal position for the proper portion of its length by means of upper rolls or wheels, 0, pivoted to standards on the main frame or otherwise, and arranged to bear on the upper edges of the apron. \Vhile these rollers 0 hold the apron down to its place, they in no wise interfere with the passage of the grain, which may be delivered between them.

For the purpose of adjusting the grain endwise during its passage over the conveyerapron, in order to give the gavel fiat and regular ends, and to present the grain in position to receive the band midway of its length, there are two adjuster boards or wings, F, located above the inclined surface of the apron, their inner vertical surfaces converging in the direction of the delivery, so as to act endwise upon the grain passing between them. These adj uster'boards are mounted on upright pivots at their forward ends, and are provided with adjusting-arms (1, extending through suitable guides, and provided, as shown, with adj listing-nuts, or with other appropriate means for securing them in different positions.

In order to prevent the ends of the flowing grain from passing beneath the edges of the adj uster-boards F, the apron is provided on its outersurface with two or more longitudinal ribs, 6, rising a considerable distance from the surface, so as to sustain the ends of the grainstalks and hold the same above the surface of the apron. It is preferred to construct these ribs of rubber, but they may be made of leather orother apppropriate flexible material. In order that they may facilitate the flow of the grain, their outer edges may be toothed or serrated, as shown in the drawings, but this,

although highly advantageous, is not a necessary feature.

Adjacent to the inner or delivery endof the conveyer-apron there isafixed box or recei ver, G, in suitable position to receive the grainas 3 5 it is delivered from the apron. This receiver has a bottom hinged at one side, as shown at f, and provided with weights 9, which tend to hold it in a closed position, but which admit of its opening in a downward direction, so asv to discharge the accumulated grain at a proper time.

Adjacent to the receiver there is a semicircular trough-like compressor or concave, H, secured at its rear edge to arock-shaft, I, which is extended across the machine from front to rear and seated in appropriate bearings on the frame. This concave or compressor may be turned downward past the side of the receiving-box G, and is provided at its free edge with a lip, 71, adapted to engage the edge of the hinged receiverbottom, or a projection thereon, so that in the act of descending the concave will open the bottom, as shown in Fig.2, and thus permit the accumulated grain to flow from the receiver into the concave.

The concave may be turned by means of its shaft in an upward and outward direction to present the grain to the compressing and binding devices, which co-operate therewith, and

when thus turned it releases the bottom of the receiver, which is immediately closed by the weight to retain the grain, which is gradually accumulated for the next bundle.

To assist in confining and compressing the drawings, these arms being held in position to resist the advance of the concave, and thus effect the compression of the grain by means hereinafter explained.

For the purpose of placing the cord or other binding material about the gavel and presenting it to the fastening deviccs,I provide the cord-carryinglinger, the head being to this end mounted on a bar, L, sustained by arms M, journaled loosely on the shaft I of the concave. The arms M are provided with studs .m, which enter curved slots L in arms 1?, fixed to the shaft of the receiver, this connection serving to communicate motion from the receiver during a portion of its vibratory movement to the head K.

The band-fastening devices may be of any of the various forms known in the art, as they constitute no part of the present invention; but I have represented in the drawings, andin practice I prefer to use, the devices forming the subject-matter for a separate application for Letters Patent filed by me of even date herewith, to which reference may be made for a detailed description thereof. The movable head K is provided with a pinion, a, to actuate the tyer andclamp, which receive motion as the head is carried to and fro from a rack, 0, formed on the side of a rigid overhanging arm, N, bolted to tliefraine. The concave H receives its vibratory motion through an arm, 1;, secured to its shaft, and connected by a pitman, q, with a crank, r, attached by a clutch, hereinafter described, to the forward journal of the roll a, which carries the inner end of the conveyer-apron. The binding mechanism stands'nornially at rest, but is thrown into action automatically by the grain accumulated in the receiver whenever it acquires apredetermined weight. This automatic action is secured in the following manner: The crank r is arranged to revolve freely on the shaft of the driving-roll, except when in engagment with the sliding clutch s, whichis arranged. to slide, but fixed against rotation on the journal of theroll. "When the clutch is thrown into engagement, the binding mechanism is set in motion, andwhen the clutch is disengaged the binder stops. A lever, t, pivoted to the frame engages at one end, either directly or through an intermediate block, With a circumferential groove in the clutch, so as to throw the same into and out of action.

gagement.

For the purpose of disengaging the clutch A spiral spring, it, acts upon the lever and tends to hold the clutch in en- IIO' and holding it out of action during the proper periods of time, the concave H is provided at one end, as shown in Figs. 1, 6, and 7, wit-ha rigid arm, 10, the lower end of which is provided with a projecting inclined face designed to act against a finger, 51:, extending laterally from the clutch-lever t, and pivoted to swing upward from a horizontal position. As the receiver descends preparatory to its receiving the grain, and before it has completed its downward movement, the inclined face of the arm to, acting on the finger x, as shown in Fig. 7, operates the lever, disengaging the clutch and stopping the binding mechanism. Vhen, however, the receiver is depressed to the extreme limit of movement, the inclined face of the arm 10 is carried below the finger 0;, which overrides the same, thereby releasing the lever and permitting the clutch to engage the crank, whereupon the receiveris immediately carried upward with the grain therein. As the arm in rises with the receiver, the finger a yields in an upward direction, and finally falls again to its original position.

In order to prevent the final downward movement of the receiver above referred to until the predetermined quantity of grain has been accumulated, I make use of a spring to resist its downward movement. This spring may be applied in any appropriate form and manner; but I prefer, as shown in the drawings, to mount on top of the overhanging arm N a sliding rod, 1 mounted in suitable guides and encircled by a spiral spring, which tends to force it backward. As the receiver descends and communicates motion through the intermediate parts to the head K, the spind le or projection on the latter encounters the end of rod 3 which resists further movement of the parts. \Vhen, however, a sufiieient quantity of grain has accumulated in the receiver to overcome the resistance of the spring 2, the receiver will sink and its arm trip the binderintoaction,asbeforeexplained. Anut, I), may be applied to the rod 7 for the purpose of changing the tension of the spring,and thus changing the size of the bundles. Regarding this spring, it is only necessary that it shall be arranged to resist the descent of the receiver just before the completion of its movement, and it maybe modified at will, provided it secures this end.

In machines of the present type difficulty is frequently experienced, because of their great width, in carrying them through gates and other restricted openings commonly encountered. In order to avoid trouble in this re gard, I attach the main wheels B B in such manner that they may be quickly adjusted at right angles to their ordinary positions, or. in other words, placed in position to admit of the machine being drawn in an endwiae direction. To this end I secure the journal of each wheel to a block, 0', arranged to slide in a vertical tubular post, d, secured firmly to the main frame, the post having on one side a slot through which the journal projects. Each post contains above the sliding block a spiral spring, 6, these springs being made of such strength as to carry the end of the frame and lift the same to its highest elevation whenever it is released.

For the purpose of depressing the frame and holding the same at the desired height, each block is provided with a screw, j,- extending upward through the frame, and provided on its upper end with a hand-nut, 1 The slot in which the journal plays vertically is offset or extended laterally at the lower end, as shown in Fig. 9, so that after the frame is raised to the full limit the journal may be turned into the offset portion of the slot at right angles to its usual position, the effect of which will be to place the wheel in the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1. The wheels being thus adjusted and the draft-pole applied to the end of the frame, the machine may be conveniently drawn in an cndwise direction from place to place.

By the employment of the wheels B B, one in advance of the other, in connection with devices for adjusting the frame vertically in respect to each wheel independently of the other, I am enabled not only to change the height of the frame, but also to vary its inclination in a fore-and-aft direct-ion, thus cl1aiuging the elevation and inclination of the cutting devices as circnmstances may require.

Operation: The parts stand normally in the position represented in Figs. 1, 2, and 7, the cutters and graiirconveying apron remaining constantly in motion. The grain falling from the cutters upon the apron 1G is sustained at its ends by the ribs 0 and carried forward between the adjuster-boards F, which are separated a distance corresponding with the length of the grain. From the elevated end of the apron the. grain falls'into the receiving box G, whence it flows into the concave H, if the latter be, as shown, in its depressed position, so as to hold the bottom of the receiver open. At this time the bimler-driving clutch is held out of action by the arm '10 on the receiver, as shown in Fig. 7. \Vhen sufficient grain has accumulated in the receiver to form a bundle. the weight of the spring a is over come and the receiver sinks, causing its arm 10 to release the clutch s, which at once starts the binder. The rotation ofthe crank 1-,thronghv the pitman q and arm 1), swings the concave H upward, causing the finger i to carry the cord around the gavel and present it to the fastening devices in the head K. As soon as the finger reaches the fastening devices, the head is carried backward with the receiver, the several parts moving together, as shown in Fig. 3, until the head K reaches the lower end of the arm N, by which time the operations of tying, cutting, and clamping the cord are completed,so that the bnmlle is ready for delivery. The bundle being discharged, the

parts swing forward toward their original positions, the head K stopping when it reaches a position over the shaft i, while the concave continues its forward and downward movement in order to again open the receiver,which was automatically closed during the rise of the concave by the weights 9. The rotation of the compressor-arms J is assisted during the time that they are required to act on the gavel by spring-arms T, fixed to the frame in position to encounter the lower ends of the compressorarms. The pressure of the grain against the upper ends of the compressor-arms forces them backward, overcoming the frictional resistance of the springs, until finally the lower ends of the compressor pass beyond the springs, whereupon they are free to turn freely until the bundle is discharged. The two ends of the compressor rise alternately to the active position.

Motion is, communicated to all parts of the machine by a beveled gcar-wheel, ed, on the rear ground-wheel, B, driving a pinion, If, attached to or formed in one piece with a pulley, c, which latter transmits motion, through a chain or belt, (1 to a pulley fixed on the rear end of the conveyer-roll a, before referred to as the means for driving the binder. .The pinion I) has its journal arranged for vertical adjustment in a slotted arm on the frame, so that it may remain in gear with wheel a", notwithstanding the vertical adjustments of the frame.

Having thus described myinvention, whatI claim is- 3. In a grain harvestingand binding ma chine, the conveyer-apron provided with the longitudinal ribs having teeth or serrations at the upper edge. v

4. In combination with the vibratory re ceiver, the rotary compressor arms J and the spring '1, to resist the rotation of said arms,

whereby they are caused to co-operate with the receiver to effect the compression of the grain.

5. In combination with the vibratory concave and the cord-carrying finger at its edge, the head K, having the cord tying. cutting, and clamping devices mounted therein, said head arranged to travel in a path coincident with that of the finger. 6. The combination of the vibratory concave H, the compressor arm J, and the head K, containing the band-fastening devices, all arranged to move about a common center.

7. In combination with the stationary arm N, to operate the band-fastening devices, the concave H and its shaft, theheadK. sustained by arms revolving loosely about the shaft of the receiver and provided with band-fastening devices, and the slotted arm P and pin m, whereby motion is commnnicated from the concave to the head. v

8. In a grain harvesting and binding machine, the combination of the continuouslyceive the grain and a spring to resist its final downward movement, the driving-clutch connected by intermediate devices with the concave, the lever t, and spring a, for operating said clutch, the finger ac, pivoted to the lever, and the arm 20, connected with the concave, whereby the concave, in descending, is caused to throw its driving-clutch out of action, and subsequently, by a continued downward move ment, to throw the clutch again into action.

10. The combination of the concave adapted to trip the driving. mechanism into action, the

swinging head K, connected with and moved by the concave, the sliding rod y and its spring 2, arranged, substantially asshown, to resist the movement of the head, and thereby resist the final downward movement of the receiver.

11. In a harvesting-machine, the combination of the main frame, the carrying-wheel, the intermediate spring of strength sufficient to lift the frame above its operative position, and

mechanism, substantially as described, for forcibly depressing the frame against the resistance of the spring and holding the same in the required position.

12. In combination with the main frame, the tubular posts 11, the springs e therein, the blocks 0', having the journal or axle attached, the s'crewf, and nut g.

13. In a harvesting and binding machine, the main frame and tubular posts d, provided with the vertical slots having an offset portion at the lower end,in combination with the blocks.

0, carrying the lateral stud or axle, adapted to slide vertically and to be turned horizontally in said posts. 7

14. In a harvesting-machine, the combination of the main frame, its tubular posts having vertical slots with offset portions at their lower ends, and the. verticallyadjustable blocks provided with wheel-carrying studs or journals adapted to be turned into and engaged within the offset portion of the slots, as described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my'hand in the presence of two attesting witnesses.

WILLIAM SOHVVINGEN. \Vitnesses:

O. G. WHEEL R, D. 0. WHEELER. 

